Pagano on J.Smith: "He looks pretty good"

Pictures of the Ravens game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17.

Edward Lee

For the second straight day, rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith participated in practice – the first time he’s practiced in back-to-back sessions since the week leading up to the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That was also the day he suffered a high left ankle sprain, which has sidelined him for almost the entire season.

The first-round pick’s activity could be interpreted as a positive step towards suiting up for the Ravens’ contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars Monday night. Defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano appeared to take that angle when asked about Smith’s progress.

“The mental part of it, he did a great job. He was in every meeting, taking notes and preparing as if he was going to play,” Pagano said during his weekly briefing Thursday. “He looks pretty good. Like anything, it’s like starting over. You have to knock the rust off a little bit, and trust the ankle that it is healed. Playing the position that he plays, there’s a lot of starting and stopping and cutting and those types of things. He looks good.”

Smith did not update his availability, saying he had to visit with the training staff during the team's open locker room.

Smith was joined on the practice field by cornerback Chris Carr, who is attempting to bounce back from a left hamstring injury. Carr said it was encouraging to see Smith practice.

“Hopefully, me and him stay out there for a long time because we have a lot of depth in the secondary,” Carr said. “When we all got hurt and [Domonique] Foxworth got put on IR [on Sept. 28], all our depth went out the window. So hopefully, we can keep our depth, and we’ll be fine for the rest of the season.”